


Shades Of Grey

by Wow_Confused



Category: Trying Human
Genre: Angst, Could Be Read As Tone/Shade But Wasn't Intended, F/F, Forgive Me, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Apologise For The Title, I Wrote This All At 3 In The Morning, Implied Romance, It Isn't The Best, Shade Has A Bad Day, a bit OOC, one-sided romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21524128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wow_Confused/pseuds/Wow_Confused
Summary: It was foolish to dwell on the past, but sometimes the past has a way of creeping up on you when you least expect it.
Relationships: Pigment/Shade (Trying Human), Shade & Tone, Shade/Rose
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Shades Of Grey

The first thing Shade noticed about the night's abductee was their hair. It was a vibrant red, the tight curls falling haphazardly around their face, seemingly glowing under the beam of the ship. A burning halo, messy and unkept and uncomfortably familiar.

_Come with me._

The human obeyed, taking slow steps forward, mindlessly following Shade into the ship's guiding light. They did not notice their feet rising from the grass, too lost in her illusion.

As they were pulled upwards, Shade found herself gazing at the ground as it fell away. For reasons she could not--or would not--place, she was unable to meet her captive's stare.

When they made it aboard, she turned swiftly away from her subject and towards the hall, her chin raising.

_Follow me._

They began the usual walk to the examination room, an unusual feeling settling in her gut, faint but noticable. She could only try to ignore it.

The human trailed behind her in a daze, lost in her silent voice. The feeling thankfully faded as she turned her focus to their overlapping footfalls as they made their way through the long hallway.

Tone appeared through the doorway of the examination room, having stayed to prep their workstation.

_Hello_ , he said, to which Shade responded in kind.

He turned, and the trio made their way into the large room. A metal table stood menacingly in the center, a tray of high tech equipment at it's side. Along the curved wall, were computer screens and metal cabinets.

Tone took his place besides the tray, ready to had off equipment and lend a hand if need be.

Shade and the human followed, the former turning to face her doe eyed captive.

That unusual feeling from before returned suddenly at the sight of their fiery hair and with it a sudden intrusion.

For a moment she wished this human was Rose.

Taken aback by her own wayward thought, Shade quickly pushed it to the very back of her mind.

It was foolish to dwell on matters that could not be changed. And no matter how hard she tried, it seemed she could not change the fact Hue had stolen Rose away from her. No. From the program.

Not that it bothered her, besides the obvious threat the two's unconventional relationship was to their delicate operation. And beyond that, why should it? They had plenty of other viable humans in their program.

She ignored the way her fingers unconsciously curled into loose fists.

Prompting the human to disrobe and lay down on the table, she rather hastily began her examination. Forcing all her unwanted thoughts down, she fell into the comfortable routine of sterile medical instruments and low buzzing equipment and her own calming manipulation.

It was just a fluke, that thought.

These past few days had been hectic. Even a Grey such as herself, normally so indifferent and strong minded, could be excused for a folly or two.

But as she turned to hand something to Tone, another, more familiar and uncomfortable intrusion made itself known.

She wished Pigment was here.

Her chest suddenly tightened and her grip on the tool when slack. It smashed against the ground, the more fragile bits coming loose.

Tone startled and she could feel the confusion radiating from him. Swiftly collecting herself, she willed her mind to collect the broken pieces from the ground and discard them on a nearby tray.

_I apologi-_ She didn't get a chance to finish, before a sudden burst of energy came from the human, startling both her and Tone.

The human had broken out of their trance. The fog in their eyes was clearing and their breaths picked up in pace.

"Wha-where," they turned towards the two Greys and instantly paled, eyes going wide. They gasped unintelligibly, shaking and whining in horror. "O- _oh God!"_

Red hair stuck to a sweat beaded forehead.

Pink painted nails grasped fruitlessly at the cold metal below them.

Shade felt as sick as a Grey possibly could.

She quickly turned, making her way out of the room. _We are done here_ , she said, not waiting for a reply before she marched out into the hall.

▶

Shade found herself sitting at one of the few resting areas in the ship, trying in vain to quell her unwanted thoughts.

The image of Hue and Rose, swooning over one another crawled it's way into her psyche and she slouched over, arms loosely holding her sides.

It had been a long time since she had faced this problem. Hue and Rose's sudden relationship the seeming cause. The only other time in her life she could recall such invasive thoughts, was for a while after Pigment was taken.

Before she could stop it, a vision of the last time she saw the other flashed before her eyes. The human doctor leading her away, a sick and disturbing look on his face. Pigment, looking so small and vulnerable next to those men, who towered over her. EBE1 holding that stupid, worthless photograph.

Her hands shook.

It was foolish to dwell, but here she was.

Dwelling.

She felt sudden presence appear behind her, but she didn't turn. She figured who it was.

The soft tapping of light footfalls grew closer and then Tone was standing beside her seat.

She couldn't bring herself to speak.

Wordlessly, he sat beside her and she spared him a glance. He stared ahead, silent as per usual, but his presence gave her comfort.

She thought of Pigment and how well they worked together. How well they could have been still.

Tone leaned an inch toward her.

That was all behind her now. She had a duty to uphold, a mission she needed to complete. And despite not having Pigment by her side anymore, she had Tone, who was a great partner, even if they weren't as close.

As for Rose, she still got to see her, so it wasn't a total loss.

Finally collecting herself, she stood and faced her partner. _Thank you_ , she said. _Let us get back to work._

Tone rose from his seat. _Alright_.

And so they made their way back, ready to continue in their mission.

Yes, it was foolish to dwell on the past, but Shade figured it was even more foolish to not face it and overcome it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment, share, or leave a kudos! <3


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